


Jackets

by BubbaKnowlton



Series: Mother of Monsters/Echidna AU [7]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: M/M, Male Lactation, Marriage Proposal, Monster Baby, Mother of Monsters AU, Past Mpreg, Pre-Slash, Pre-TFA, Sad baby :(, angst with a happy ending (i guess), bad dad Kylo Ren, echidna AU, very minor injury/blood mention, xeno/alien Hux
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-18
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-09-09 09:49:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8886226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubbaKnowlton/pseuds/BubbaKnowlton
Summary: The Mother of Monsters/Echidna!Hux AU is created by the_Archivist and IHux brings home their firstborn to the Finalizer, and it doesn't go very well. The child is miserable, and Kylo refuses to believe they're actually his. At least until Hux takes semi-drastic measures to prove it and help their child.





	

**Author's Note:**

> finished up another bit of the Echidna!Hux AU! this one features baby Argent (the firstborn) who looks like this in this fic: https://the17thmuse.tumblr.com/post/154180397695/  
> Masterpost of all the kids: http://oblioknowlton.tumblr.com/post/154184213660/  
> check out more art/stuff for this AU here: the17thmuse.tumblr.com/tagged/echidna-au  
> tinybibmpreg.tumblr.com/tagged/echidna-au
> 
> based Argent loosely off of myself when it comes to sleeping. instead of white noise i need Absolute silence (since i take off my hearing aids. if i can hear something i wake up. like,,,, a LOUD crash. i can't sleep if they're on, either)

**Jackets**

It took Hux longer than the length of his pregnancy just to recover from giving birth. He was still sore and tired, and maintained a lot of his weight gain. The medics had insisted that he was to take it easy for the next few months, but Hux was grabbing his datapad to catch up on the three months he'd missed of work. He sat at his desk, the baby huddled against him, supported with just one arm. 

Ren wasn't very sure what they were going to do now. They barely knew anything about each other, the baby and their job being the only things that connected them at all. Even then, he still was unsure whether or not the creature was his. Hux insisted it was, getting offended when he expressed his doubts. According to Hux, it resembled him, but he couldn't see it. It was force sensitive, at least. Yet the force was somewhat random, Hux could have very well just happened to deliver a force sensitive child that was completely separate from Ren.

The force sensitivity was weak, and seemed to work solely based on the thing's emotions. When it was happy, it turned invisible, cloaking itself unconsciously. When it was anything but happy, the invisibility went away. Like now, since it had hated the ship ride and was uncomfortable in a new place. It'd been extremely upset on the shuttle, wailing and squirming. He'd left it to Hux to soothe it.

Standing awkwardly in Hux's quarters wasn't going to provide answers. He supposed it would be better to just return to his own rooms and meditate. Hux could deal with the baby himself, he'd been content doing so during his stay at the medcenter.

Just as he started to leave, Hux stopped him. "Ren, wait-" He looked back over at the redhead. He'd put down the datapad. "I just want to thank you. I know you don't believe that Argent is yours, but you came when I was in labor anyways."

He was not going to mention he'd shown up without knowing that, and was going to leave if the nurse that told him hadn't physically grabbed his arm to lead him to Hux's room.

"It helped, a lot, having you there. It probably didn't seem like it, but it did. So I appreciate that you were with me." He went back to his datapad, shifting the baby slightly. "I'll see you on the bridge tomorrow, then."

"Sure."

-

When Hux arrived on the bridge the next day, he'd brought the baby with him. They were curled up in the crook of one arm as he tried to look at a datapad using just one hand. The baby was visible, so it was upset, and Ren could sense Hux was clearly anxious about it. A light skimming of Hux's thoughts revealed that Hux knew what the problem was, but he didn't yet have a solution.

Other than the obvious upset baby, Hux looked exhausted. The baby must have kept him up, or he hadn't been able to sleep for some other reason. Too many reports to look over, perhaps. Regardless, he looked terrible. The medics should have prescribed him more bedrest, confined him to his quarters. Instead, he was straight back to work, now with a baby to take care of and carry around.

Argent began to squirm in Hux's hold, whining. The officers were all staring openly, though Hux didn't notice. He nuzzled the baby, murmuring to them. The attempted soothing did not help, and the baby kicked until Hux was struggling to hold them. He wrapped his other arm around them, and ignored the thrashing to try and talk to an officer holding a report.

The officer fumbled over their words, staring at the child. Another quick glance at Hux's thoughts showed that he was beginning to regret bringing the baby with him, but he couldn't leave them _alone in his rooms._ He was getting frustrated, but it was tired frustration. Despite that, he kept a firm hold on Argent and continued working, ignoring the looks from his subordinates.

Argent eventually stopped thrashing, instead weakly scratching at Hux's clothes and moving slightly, whimpering. They kept their head pressed against him. They spent the whole day miserable, and Hux looked miserable too when Ren saw him on his way back to his quarters after his last shift. Hux spotted him and faltered, but then looked away and kept walking, looking even more unhappy than before. The baby whined, starting to make a fuss again.

-

The next day went much the same. The baby kicked and whined, scratching at Hux's uniform and leaving tears behind. It gnawed on his clothes, pulling at the fabric. It managed to bite down on his collar, and Hux had to undo it so that he wouldn't be choked.

Midday, he shifted the baby so that their head and neck were partially leaning over his shoulder. This upset them all over again, and Argent whined even louder, bashing their head against his back, scratching more and more. Hux struggled to hold them.

He readjusted them to look at them, and they lashed out, slashing a claw down his cheek. "Ah-!" Argent froze when Hux winced in pain, murmuring. Hux slapped a hand to his bleeding face, grimacing. "Kriff-" The baby whimpered, shifting their feet and taking quick breaths before beginning to wail. Hux shifted the baby clumsily to tuck them against his neck, and walked off.

"Sir?"

"I'm going to take a quick walk to medbay. I'll be back shortly."

-

Hux came back with a bacta patch stuck over the cut, an anticipation for the results of something he had done in the medbay with Argent, and a still crying baby. He patted Argent's ridged back to try and soothe them, but it didn't work. He gave up and announced, "If anyone needs me I'll be in my office."

-

"Come on, darling, please stop crying... I know you hate it here but this is your home." Hux seated Argent on his lap, stroking their bumped head. "It's going to be alright, I promise." Argent buried their face in Hux's chest. They tilted their head up after a few seconds and whimpered.

Hux brought a hand up to the bandage. "This? Mum's going to be fine, Argent. It's no big deal." It'd required stitches, almost went through to his teeth, but he could ignore that. Argent's wailing decreased to gasping sobs. 

He did some work on a datapad until Argent began gnawing at the fabric over his chest. Leaning back, he could see Argent mouthing at it, trying to suck. Sighing, he unbuckled his belt, and pulled out his uniform shirt. He pulled off the tee underneath it as well, and then slid an arm out of one loop of his undershirt so Argent had access. The baby latched onto his nipple and started to suckle.

That quieted them down. He could feel how icy cold they were against his chest, and where his bare arms touched them.

They were cold, tired, and completely miserable on board the ship. They wanted one on one attention Hux couldn't afford to give them, and were upset with being carried around nonstop. They didn't get to eat as often as they wanted, they _needed_ , Hux supposed. Being around the crew members upset them, and the crew members were obviously freaked out about the alien baby their General constantly had with him. 

They'd been happy when he was down in the medcenter, with his constant attention and unlimited feeding, a warm room and the ability to wander and play around said room as long as they came back when Hux, the only person around except for the occasional medic, reached out for them. They'd spent the majority of the time in the medcenter invisible, their sign for being happy, but ever since they'd boarded the shuttle to take them back home, they were visible and upset.

He briefly wondered if Argent would be happier if they had both their parents to look after them. Ren, at least, would be able to play with them, watch over them as they wandered around.

Dismissing that thought, Hux frowned. Ren would never do that. The man didn't even believe he was Argent's father, which would hopefully change as soon as the results from the DNA test in the medbay came through, and refused to acknowledge either of them. It didn't matter that he'd felt... something, when Ren was there with him while he gave birth. The feeling would never be returned, and he would have to take care of Argent by himself, forever.

Unless... he'd thought about it, while in the medcenter, when Argent was asleep beside him. Maybe Argent would be happier if he sent them away somewhere. Surely he couldn't raise them properly on a warship. They'd always be miserable, and he wouldn't be able to give them the care and attention they needed. It'd be hard to find a family that would raise Argent as a child for him, but he could do it. Or he could send Argent to live with their grandfather. Brendol was retired, lived on a quiet First Order controlled planet, and would be able to take care of the baby.

He looked down at Argent, who was feeding quietly, grasping at his undershirt with their clawed hands. He didn't _want_ to send them away. He wanted them to stay with him. But he couldn't give them what they needed, which was far more important than his wants.

"Argent... We'll see how Ren reacts to the test we did in the medbay, and if he steps up, you can stay with Mum, but if he still wants nothing to do with us... Your grandfather can take care of you until the war is over. It should end after Starkiller Base is built, in a few years." Just a few years, they were predicting it would only be five or six years until it was finished. Two years to finish planning and gathering materials, to find a suitable planet, and three or four years to actually build it.

"Ah, I should really tell Father you were born, send him a holograph... He'll be disappointed, but he'd be more disappointed if I don't ever tell him." He pulled out his datapad and wrote a message, then took a quick holo of Argent to send as well.

He sent it, and slumped back in his chair. "I really hope Ren changes his mind when he realizes you're his... I don't want to send you away. You'd probably be happier, but..."

-

A trooper delivered the results to his office, and Hux felt grateful he'd put his uniform back on. He had Argent bundled up in his greatcoat, which had been hanging off of the back of his seat. The trooper handed him the datapad with the results, saluted, and left.

"The DNA results are back, Argent... Let's see if we have the proof we need to show Ren you're really his." Although he _knew_ Ren was the father, he was still nervous as he scrolled down to the results. Argent squirmed, picking up his anxiety.

The results matched. "I knew it. Kylo Ren is your father, Argent. I was right to give you a surname of Hux-Ren, hmm?" At his relief, Argent calmed. "We'll leave this in your father's bedroom, and I'll attach a note to it saying that it's alright if he doesn't want to be involved, because your grandfather can take you. There's no pressure." He pulled a piece of flimsi and a pen out of his desk, two perks of being a General, having the traditional method of writing, and wrote the note.

Picking up Argent, Hux tucked the datapad and note in between himself and the baby, and then headed to Ren's quarters. He input the override code to get in, and then left the datapad on Ren's bed, putting the flimsi note underneath the corner so it wouldn't drift away. 

"I don't feel well, Argent, let's take the rest of the cycle off. I shouldn't have rejected the medics suggestion of assigning me bedrest, don't you agree?"

He spotted something on the floor, and went over to it. Ren's cowl. He picked it up, surprised at how thick the fabric was. "Argent, do you want to watch Mum sew for a bit? I think I can make a jacket out of this and some other things. You'll be nice and cozy." The baby just huddled in the greatcoat. 

Hux took that as a yes.

-

Back in his quarters, Hux grabbed the things he needed to make the jacket. He had a soft blanket from shore leave that he'd won in a quick raffle, a pair of scissors, and the needle and thread from the first aid kit in his fresher. He only knew how to sew from basic medical training the the Academy. 

He set Argent onto his lap, and put the blanket around segments of their body and legs to cut off appropriately sized chunks, just slightly loose so Argent could grow into it. He made sure to leave spaces alongside the body to not block Argent's many eyes. He repeated it for the cowl, and made a little hood to go along with it. He wrapped the remaining bit of the blanket around Argent, and started sewing the pieces together.

Once he finished with the jacket, he took off his own uniform shirt. The shirt was ruined, covered in tears from Argent's fussing, so he cut off the zipper, the First Order patch, and the stripes. He attached those to the jacket, and it was finally complete. 

"It's late, darling. Let's get this on before bed." He managed to get the jacket onto Argent, sticking their tail, four legs, and two arms into the appropriate holes. He zipped them up, and pulled up the hood. 

Argent flickered in and out of visibility, a sign that they liked it. Hopefully that was one problem solved. He lifted them up and brought them to the bed, "I'll get ready for bed and then we can try to sleep." They stood up and hobbled on weak legs, stumbling around on the mattress. "Don't go near the edge." He guided them to the center of the bed, and rubbed their head to set his point.

His warning was for naught, as he came out of the sanistream and pulled on his sleep pants, he heard a thud and then Argent started crying. He left the 'fresher and could see Argent sprawled out on the floor, the blanket pulled down with them.

"Argent!" He hurriedly picked them up, inspecting them for any injuries. They curled up in his arms, sobbing. "Did you bump your head?" There were no visible marks on them, so he rocked them until they calmed down. With the baby still hiccuping, he picked the blanket back up. He set Argent down and laid next to them, pulling them close to his chest and then bringing up the blanket.

Like the past two nights, Argent refused to fall asleep, whining and pushing at Hux. They settled once he fed them, and every few hours for their next feeding. He got little sleep, every time he started to doze off Argent would wake him up.

-

He felt sick in the morning, and called out. A medical droid came up without his request, and told him he needed to sleep and take a vitamin injection. The shot was administered, and the droid waited for him to try and sleep. He tried, but Argent wouldn't let him.

"Please stop crying, Argent, Mum needs to sleep."

The droid scanned Argent, "The child needs rest as well."

"They won't sleep. I can't get them to."

"An injection will suffice for both of you."

"It's not dangerous for them?" The droid pulled two syringes out of its chest cavity, fully prepared.

It grabbed Hux's arm first and gave the shot, "Only one way to find out."

"What-" He tried to protest but was already losing consciousness. He slumped against the bed as the droid found a spot to inject the needle into on Argent. As soon as the baby started going limp, the droid moved them close to Hux, and lifted up the man's arm to place over Argent.

"There you are, General!"

-

Hux woke up slowly. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision. He still felt tired, the medicine running through his system, but his body felt considerably better, and he no longer felt sick. The blanket was pulled up to just below his chest, right under Argent's head. Argent was tucked against him, still except for their breathing. He adjusted the baby, curling around them, and closed his eyes.

He awoke again feeling not as tired, but not at all eager to get up. Argent was still sound asleep, hand twitching with a dream. He smiled, pulling down their hood so he could rub their head. 

"You broke into my room and stole my cowl, to make a jacket for it?"

The deep, modulated voice startled Hux, and he looked up to see Ren leaning against his desk. The Knight's arms were crossed. 

"I broke into your room to give you evidence that-" he was cut off by a yawn, "-that you're the father. I saw your scarf on the floor and got the idea."

"Why make it clothes?"

"They're cold on the ship. They haven't gotten used to it, and it makes them miserable."

"It doesn't look miserable to me."

"Medbay gave us both sleep medicine. It's the first they've slept since the medcenter, so don't wake them up." Argent didn't seem bothered at all. Hux pulled their hood back up. "You both match."

"How do I know the evidence wasn't just forged?"

"If you hate the thought of being a father that badly, just tell me and I'll send them to my father's house."

"You were serious."

"Unfortunately." Hux curled up even more around the baby, hugging them. "I don't want to, but I will if needed."

"And you can't just raise it yourself?"

"I've barely done it two days and they needed medical intervention. They're not happy with me."

"And you think you'll do any better with my help?"

Hux went silent. He looked down at Argent. "I suppose keeping them was a fantastical idea of mine. I'll call the Commandant." He sat up, cradling the baby. "I'll miss him, but it's- it's for the best." He grabbed the comm off of his nightstand and set it on the bed. Ren tensed. After typing in his father's comm number, he hesitated.

"You're really going to send them away?"

"I- I've got no other choice, do I?" Hux swallowed, blinking back the sting in his eyes. "Argent will be happier there."

"You won't be happy."

"It doesn't matter what I feel. Argent's wellbeing is what matters. Even if- even if I don't _want_ to send them away. It's for their own good."

"They'd be miserable without you."

"They're already miserable. I'm not a good mother."

"No parent is perfect. You just have to get through problems instead of giving up."

"But-"

"They're not going to remember this when they're older. And by then, we'll have figured something out."

Hux's eyes widened. "You're going to help?"

"I'm still a bit... uneasy about being a parent, but yes, I will. So you don't need that any more." Ren used the force to bring the comm to his hand, and then crushed it. After doing so he immediately regretted the action. Hux stared at it.

"I... needed that for work."

"I'll fix it."

-

He fixed the comm as Hux watched over Argent, making sure they slept well. As soon as he was done, he handed it back to Hux. Then he sat on the edge of the bed, and pulled off his helmet.

Argent stirred, so Hux rubbed their back, careful not to touch their eyes, to soothe them. They murmured and then were silent. Ren drew his legs up onto the bed and turned to be facing the two of them. Hux looked nervous, like he expected Ren to get up and leave.

Ren moved to sit next to them, arm pressed against Hux's shoulder. Hux flushed slightly, increasing his focus on the baby. He reached out a hand to Argent as well, careful in stroking their back, mimicking Hux.

"I'm not going to leave. Unless I have a mission, then I kind of have to, but- you know what I mean."

"We should get married, then."

"What?"

"To make things easier. A bit of proof to show that you're serious. I know what it's like to grow up as a child with parents who weren't married, and Argent's already going to be alienated for-"

"Looking alien. Alright, I'll do it."

"That's great! It's just a quick signature on a certificate with a witness. I'll have Phasma be one, and it'll be done and over with by tomorrow."

He didn't really want to marry Hux, but he couldn't say no. He barely knew Hux, disliked him from their initial first impression, and now they were getting married. He'd just have to deal, surely he would get used to it in a few years.

"One more thing-" Hux looked nervous again. "Would you sleep in here tonight? Argent refuses to sleep naturally, so they might with both of us."

"Sure. I need to go train, so I'll be going."

-

Once nighttime rolled around, Ren returned to Hux's quarters after getting ready in his own. Hux was just getting into bed, and Argent was fussing already. The baby whined and kicked, jamming their head against Hux and underneath a pillow. Hux pulled them close to him and murmured to them, but it didn't help at all. Ren pulled off his boots and placed them by the door. He walked up to the bed, and laid down.

"Argent, go to sleep. Your daddy's here tonight, shh."

"Hey, kiddo."

Argent just sobbed, going limp and crying. Hux hugged them. "Don't cry, darling. We'll figure something out." Ren noticed a bunch of blankets at the foot of the bed and pulled them up with the force. Hux shifted Argent so their head was on a pillow, and pulled the blanket to their chin. "Nice and warm, Argent. Do you feel better?" The baby didn't cease crying, though they huddled up under the blanket. Ren moved closer to give more warmth.

"What's wrong, darling? You just ate, you're warm, you have the both of us... What else do you need?"

Ren quietly touched Argent's surface thoughts, and found the source of the problem. "They don't like the ship."

"I'm aware, Ren."

"No- the sounds of the ship. They can't sleep with all the noise. We're used to it from years of it," he still wasn't completely used to it, at times, but Hux had been raised on ships, "and they aren't."

"We can't shut off the ship. I don't want to have to give them injections every night just to get them to sleep."

"Maybe some other noise? I have white noise on my datapad for when I meditate and the ship is loud."

"That might work. Do you have it with you?"

"It's back in my quarters. I'll go get it."

-

He secured the headphones over Argent's head, and turned on the sound of static. Argent immediately calmed down, relaxing. Hux smiled and kissed their forehead, relieved. Within just a few minutes, they were asleep. Hux curled up around them, wrapped an arm around them, and fell asleep shortly after, succumbing to exhaustion and relief. Ren curled up around Argent as well, his arm going over Hux's, his knees touching the redhead's as well. Hux wasn't bothered at all by the touch, he seemed comforted by it, in fact.

It wasn't bad lying there with them, hearing their steady breaths and feeling the warmth where his body touched Hux. It was certainly a lot better than sleeping alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow/talk to me on Tumblr! @Oblioknowlton or @Tinybibmpreg


End file.
